Falmouth High faces new delay

Wednesday

Sep 24, 2008 at 2:00 AM

FALMOUTH — The completion date for Falmouth High School may be delayed again if the general contractor continues to drag its feet, according to John Scanlan of the Falmouth High School Building Committee.

AARON GOUVEIA

FALMOUTH — The completion date for Falmouth High School may be delayed again if the general contractor continues to drag its feet, according to John Scanlan of the Falmouth High School Building Committee.

TLT Construction Corp. of Wakefield, the project's general contractor, has not provided the town with a revised schedule of values or a work plan for the remainder of the project, Scanlan said. Furthermore, TLT is trying to stall the mediation process as both sides negotiate costs and scheduling for the remainder of the $86 million project, he said.

"This time could still be made up, but if the delays go much further, the end date will be pushed out," Scanlan said.

The project is already two years behind schedule and $19 million over budget.

Scanlan said both sides disagree about who should be hired to oversee the mediation process.

Scanlan said TLT wants to hire a lawyer in Minnesota for an "exorbitant fee" who won't be available to serve as a mediator until the end of November.

It makes more sense to hire someone locally who would be less expensive and readily available, Scanlan said.

"There are more lawyers per capita in Massachusetts than anywhere else I can think of," Scanlan said. "I don't know why they (TLT) are doing this, other than we perceive it as a stalling tactic."

Scanlan said the school building committee has sent a letter to TLT expressing the panel's frustration, as well as a letter to TLT's bonding company, in the hope of putting more pressure on the contractor to finish the job.

Chris Cormier, TLT's executive vice president, was not available by phone yesterday and did not return an e-mail seeking comment.

Scanlan said tomorrow's building committee meeting has been canceled, but he said committee members are tackling design issues and other construction-related matters during down time.

The committee is also examining concerns about TLT's recent decertification by the state for public projects due to fraud, Scanlan said.

Scanlan said the company — which works mostly with projects related to the public sector — could run into problems hiring subcontractors now that it is not allowed to bid on any public construction projects for the next 18 months.

The next school building committee meeting is scheduled for Oct. 2 at 4:30 p.m. at the School Administration Building. During the meeting, Scanlan hopes to get the green light to start demolition and asbestos removal work as part of Phase II of the high school construction project.